Medical Assessment Zone Opens at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust opened a new Medical Assessment Zone at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on 8 July 2026 to assess and triage patients faster, easing pressure on its Emergency Department. The Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has situated the zone on the ground floor of the Trauma Unit, directly opposite the Emergency Department.

The Medical Assessment Zone contains 10 trolley spaces and three assessment and side rooms. Patients will be referred there by the Emergency Department or their GP, freeing up capacity in urgent and emergency care. The trust stressed that anyone with an emergency should still attend A&E as normal. Acute Medicine Consultant Dr Andiran Anduvan said, “By creating a dedicated space outside of the Emergency Department, we can reduce waiting times and help patients receive the right care in the right place, more quickly.”

The zone was delivered without additional funding. Nursing, medical and operational teams transformed an existing space using data modelling to establish new ways of working, ensuring the unit matches the trust’s growing medical demand. Professor Mark Pietroni, Director for Safety and Medical Director, called it “an excellent example of what can be achieved when teams work together with a clear focus on improving patient care.”

The assessment zone is the latest in a series of improvements at the hospital, where over £100 million has been invested in emergency, acute medicine and inpatient facilities in recent years. A new Emergency Department opened in phases from 2022 to 2024, alongside a Children’s Emergency Department and a 24-bed ward. A previous £1 million Medical Same Day Emergency Care unit was also established near the main entrance. Similar assessment zones are in use across the NHS, providing rapid investigation and treatment to help determine whether a patient needs admission or can be cared for as an outpatient.